Hugh Hefner's Long-time Secretary Mary O'Connor Dies

She was a housemother and kind heart to countless bunnies, and a warm and wise Playboy Mansion fixture. And now, sadly, Hugh Hefner's longstanding secretary and 40-year confidante, Mary O'Connor, has died.

Hefner, 86, Tweeted the news of her passing to his Playboy family late Sunday night.

"Mary passed away today. We loved her more than words could say," he wrote of the woman who, by some accounts, marked one of his longest female relationships.

O'Connor, who had been by Hefner's side through more than four decades and three marriages and had counseled dozens of aspiring bunnies who lived at his California mansion, became more well known in recent years as she was seen on the shows The Girls Next Door and Kendra. There she gave astute advice to a host of scantily clad girls, who sought her wisdom on love, life and all things Hef.